This invention relates to an attachment for a roller applicator and more particularly for a roller applicator of the type generally used to apply paint.
In the past it has been known to apply paint by means of a roller type pad. This type of applicator is generally superior to a conventional paint brush in coating large, relatively smooth surface areas. Paint roller application allows for a smooth uniform coat of paint and minimizes brush marks. Use of an appropriately textured roller pad allows various surfaces to be painted and even permits the application of paint to create surfaces of varying textures.
While having many advantages over paint brushes of the conventional type, paint rollers tend to splatter during the application process. This is true particularly when a paint of relatively thin consistency is applied and the paint roller is moved rapidly across the surface, spinning the roller rapidly. This splatter is undesirable in painting walls and is even more objectionable when ceilings are painted, since the painter, standing directly beneath the roller, will received much of the splattering.
A number of attempts have been made to reduce undesirable splattering by attaching a shield to the roller applicator. One such shield is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,457,582, issued on July 29, 1969, to Fisher. The shield is slidably mounted on a mounting plate which is attached to the handle of the roller applicator. By sliding the plate with respect to the shield, the shield may be properly positioned for painting both walls and ceilings. U.S. Pat. No. 3,538,532 issued Nov. 10, 1970, to Schartino et al also shows a guard or shield attachable to a paint roller brush. The shield there disclosed includes an out-turned portion or flange which defines a trough beneath the roller to collect drippings. U.S. Pat. No. 3,825,970, issued July 30, 1974, to Hanssen discloses a shield which is integrally formed with a roller handle and a roller spindle. None of the prior art devices have been entirely satisfactory. Most have been complicated to make, difficult to clean after use, and many of the various types of shields have not been adjustable so that they were effective only in painting walls or in painting ceilings.